Lyr Add: Willy O!

Subject: Lyr Add: WILLY O!
From: GUEST,Q
Date: 04 Aug 03 - 05:03 PM

Lyr. Add: WILLY O!
(see Sweet William's Ghost, Child 77)
^^
Come all you young maidens that's fair and handsome,
While in vain your tears do flow.
For my love I'm daily weeping
He is my charming Willy O.

My love he's gone on board of the Tender,
Where to find him I do not know,
May kind Providence still protect him,
And send me back my Willy O.

Had I the gold of the West Indies,
Or all the silver in Mexico,
I would give it all to the Queen of England,
If she would grant me my Willy O.

As Mary lay sleeping, her true love came creeping
To her bed-chamber door so slow,
Saying rise up, lovely Mary,
For I am your own true Willy O.

Mary rose up and put on her clothes,
To her chamber door did go,
It's there she found her own true love
And his face as white as snow.

Willy dear where is the blushes
That you had some time ago.
O Mary dear the clay has changed them,
For I am the ghost of your Willy O.

Those seven long years I am daily writing
To the Bay of Biscay O,
But cruel death has sent me no answer,
From my charming Willy O.

They spent the night in deep discoursing
Concerning their courtship sometime ago.
They kissed, shook hands with sorrowful parting,
Just as the cocks began to crow.

Although my body lies in the West Indies
My ghost shall guard you to and fro.
So farewell Jewel since we are for parting
Since I'm no more your Willy O.

When she saw him disappearing,
Down her cheeks the tears did flow.
Mary dear, sweetheart and darling,
Weep no more for your Willy O.

Mentioned in discussions of "The Grey Cock," threads 18357, 52041 (esp. Malcolm Douglas, 31 Jul 03), etc. A slight Irish or English ballad, appearing in broadsides of the 1860s. Taken from Bodleian Ballads, Ballads Catalogue, Firth c12(293) and 2806 c15(136), Dublin, 1867.
Not related to "For the Love of Willy (Willy O) in the DT.
Not found in the DT or Forum.
See thread 47135 for versions of "Sweet William's Ghost," of which this song is a pale shadow.

Subject: Lyr Add: BAY OF BISCAY (from Tim Hart, Maddy Prior
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 04 Aug 03 - 07:17 PM

Very similar (don't know about the tune) to "Bay of Biscay" as recorded by Tim Hart and Maddy Prior.

BAY OF BISCAY

My Willie sails on board the tender
And where he is I do not know.
For seven long years I have been constantly waiting
Since he crossed the Bay of Biscay-o.

One night as Mary lay a-sleeping
A knock came to her bedroom door,
Saying, "Arise, arise, my dearest Mary
For to earn one glance of your Willie-o"

Young Mary rose, put on her clothing
And to her bedroom door did go.
And there she spied her Willie standing.
His two pale cheeks as white as snow.

"Oh Willie dear, where are those blushes,
Those blushes I knew long years ago?"
"Oh, Mary dear, the cold clay has them.
I am only the ghost of your Willie-o."

"Oh, Mary dear, the dawn is coming.
Don't you think it's time for me to go?
I am leaving you quite broken hearted,
For to cross the Bay of Biscay-o."

"If I had all the gold and silver
And all the money in Mexico
I would grant it all to the king of Erin
To bring me back my Willie-o."

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: WILLY O!
From: Joe Offer
Date: 04 Aug 03 - 07:35 PM

Q and BG, any idea where I might find a tune for these?
-Joe Offer-
[e-mail]

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: WILLY O!
From: GUEST,Masato
Date: 04 Aug 03 - 07:52 PM

Links to Bodleian Library Broadside Ballads editions:

Willy O

Willy O!

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: WILLY O!
From: Willie-O
Date: 04 Aug 03 - 09:22 PM

Hmm Hmm hmm.

Since a tender is a smaller boat which attends to the needs of a larger ship, it sounds like she doesn't even know what ship he sailed on!

Or, I mean, that I sailed on.

They're all on a quest, don't you know. All on a quest for their Willie-O.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: WILLY O!
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 04 Aug 03 - 09:38 PM

Several tunes or variants, but not for the broadside text of course. I haven't heard the Hart/Prior arrangement for years, so I don't recall if they acknowledged a proper source or not.

Meanwhile, there are tunes in Robin Morton, Come Day Go Day (Ulster); Michael Dawney, Ploughboy's Glory (England); Helen Creighton, Maritime Folk Songs (Nova Scotia); Folk MUsic Journal 3 (1) 1975 (London, Irish source). None are for the above texts so far as I remember.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: WILLY O!
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 04 Aug 03 - 09:42 PM

Oh, and a rather good set from "Mister X" on Hugh Shields' Folk Ballads from Donegal and Derry, but that's held in the secret vaults of "Celtic Music" of Harrogate, and isn't likely to see the light of day again any time soon.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: WILLY O!
From: GUEST,Q
Date: 04 Aug 03 - 09:44 PM

Bat Goddess, the "Bay of Biscay" hangs together- Mary "wrote to" the Bay of Biscay, but Willie ends up dead in the West Indies in "Willie O.". Was there a longer version that filled in the gaps, or were ideas added from another song?
I wondered if "Tender" was a mistake by the printer.
No tune with the broadsides- maybe the one used by Hart and Prior will work. What cd has the Bay of Biscay?

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: WILLY O!
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 04 Aug 03 - 09:55 PM

The broadsides are the originals, pretty much, of this branch. The FMJ set I mentioned above is a "Biscay-O" variant, and includes (I had forgotten) another tune from Packie Byrne. The first, from Bill Cassidy (a Traveller, and a relative by marriage of the Dorans of piping fame) can also be heard on Musical Traditions CD 325-6  From Puck to Appleby.

Subject: Bay of Biscay, Turkey Rhubarb, Bruton Town etc
From: GUEST,diplocase
Date: 09 Feb 12 - 05:47 PM

version of Bay of Biscay in tight two part harmony can be heard on Tim Hart and Maddy Prior - Heydays (anthology of their late-60s releases Folk Songs of Old England v.1 and v.2 which are both out of print, plus Summer Solstice).   Heydays is available on iTunes.

Subject: RE: Lyr Add: WILLY O!
From: radriano
Date: 09 Feb 12 - 06:25 PM

I know where my willy-o is.